Management

Feel the Heat
As economic times remain stubbornly difficult, many meeting planners are adjusting to yet another round of detailed inspection of their events by their bosses. In a June SM survey of 101 meeting...
By Rob Carey
In The Know
This month's Web picks
By Rachel Gecker
Minding Your X's and Y's
Faced with designing and catering an event for 6,000 attendees under 30, the Los Angeles-based Good Gracious! Events started its planning by doing research on this age group in order to tailor the event...
By Pauline Parry
New York's Finest
Just 72 hours before her meeting, Caroline Yee got word her keynote speaker, Dan Rather, was canceling (he was in Iraq). The cool-as-a-cucumber planner didn't bat an eye, though; there was already a...
By Sara J. Welch
No More Phat Pharms
Bryan deCastro remembers the bad ol' days well. "For a meeting I did in Bermuda," recalls the New York City-based pharmaceutical meeting planner, "one doctor not only asked us to cover expenses for his...
By Sara J. Welch
Road Block
Given the choice, most of Sue Walton's attendees would prefer to drive to a meeting rather than fly. "It's just less hassle," says Walton, an independent planner based in Chicago. Besides the economic...
By Rachel Gecker
Survival of the Biggest
In the world of third-party meetings management, larger players are competing for corporate and association business. Twinsburg, OH-based third-party meetings management firm Conferon in May joined...
By Ben Chapman
What Money Can't Buy
Goodbye outsized SUVs, swimming pools, and conspicuous consumption. Hello three-year-old cars, home gardens, and the ethics of moderation. Evidently there's a new world aborning and with it, a new...
By Dr. Tom McDonald
Destination Approximation
Let's face it: at the moment it's a bit of a challenge to get attendees to hop on a plane and head overseas. In a study conducted by SM in March, 51.5 percent of 237 planners said they were now...
By Rachel Gecker
Fun Adds Up
In companies where people have fun, productivity and profit are higher. Take Southwest Airlines -- did you know that "a sense of humor" is listed as a desired attribute on its job application? This...
By Barton Goldsmith
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